Giving Freyja a big grin, Evelina replies, "Sure! I know all sorts of random things about Taldor. Comes from wandering around a lot and talkin' to a lot of different people, I guess..."
Hoisting her bag up onto her shoulders, she declares, "I guess I'll lead the way then!" Evelina takes a few steps forward, looks around and then scratches her head. Turning around, she asks the others, "So, uh...how do you figure out which way is North? And uh...where were we again?" Smiling sheepishly, she adds, "Usually there are signs and roads and whatnot..."
Still pretty wounded, the sprite flaps his moth-like wings a couple times before flying away, even if slowly, towards the woods, being lost after a couple feet thanks to the falling snow. After a couple minutes you break down camp, securing everything on Shiny that despite having a heavy burden seems more than happy with the prospective of walking once more and getting his muscles warm.
You retrace your hidden trail back to the main trail and soon after are once more on your way to the west. After about an hour marching with snow all around you, it is hard not to already longer for the warmth of a campfire and the protection of the trees.
From the distance, Astrid notices what looks like a man standing in the cold weather but as she gets closer, she discover a human-sized snowman standing in the middle of the trail before a frozen stream. A crude wooden sign leans against it and bears the words "Trespassers Turn Back". When she gets closer to it, within 15 feet, the snowman seemingly stirs to life and speaks in Taldan. "Can't you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!"
Trying to keep spirits high the bard tells stories along the way about her travels with her mother and all the strange and wonderful places that exist in the north and even sings a song or two from those days but the fall little flat and eventually she becomes quite and slugs forward with the rest. Every so often she pauses to pull out the sack under her armor and check on their prisoner.
Surprised when the creature speaks, Freyja tries to understand what it is before responding to it.
My good fellow, we have business at the High Sentinel Lodge an as we are acting as agents for Taldor I expect you should be letting us pass. In fact I would appreciate it if you could point the way.
Blaze's yellow eyes narrow suspiciously as the snowman begins to talk. "I do not like thiss. It iss too much like the talking stag."
Unfortunately, she cannot spot any trick.
Arvanya listens with great interest to Freyja's stories, ever excited to hear tales of far-off places. "I have heard that bears can be completely white, but have never seen one before! Where is your mother now?" . She returns with a story of her own--an account of the only Northman she herself has ever known, Yeosef, working with the juvenile elephant Ibajian, and how Arvanya learned to feed him apples. They were nearly rotten apples, acquired from local farmers on a steep discount (and it was hard enough convincing locals to sell to a band of gypsies, anyway), but Ibajian liked them well enough. "He was good friend." Arvanya finishes the tale with a simple statement, then joins Freyja in silence as they continue to march through the snow.
When the snow creature turns to speak, she steps back, bow ready. "We are not enemies, only seek find missing woman."
The snowman answers no question and only repeats after a minute has passed with the exact same intonation from before. "Can't you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!"
Some type of magic mouth? Freyja wonders as she casts Detect Magic and studies the thing.
Sleepy and tired from the exhausting previous day and a night of tumultuous rest, Evelina is somewhat quieter than usual in the morning travels. Yet, even in her weary state, she eagerly ploughs through the snow, next to Freyja and Arvanya so that she can better hear Freyja stories. Listening contentedly, she only occasionally makes comments like, "Oh? White bears? Sounds pretty! Yeah, tell us more about those."
---
Like Blaze, Evelina is somewhat suspicious of the snowman, after fiasco with the talking stag. As Freyja speaks to the creature, Evelina begin scouting the area, expecting some mischievous little sprite to be playing them for fools.
However, after a half-hearted few seconds of searching, she things. Maybe its for real this time. Although, this guy seems kind of rude... Somewhat annoyed, Evelina folds her arms. "Now look here mister snowman, we are on a rescue mission. Tryin' save a life, got it? This is important business! I don't see why you can't just..." Pausing as she hears Freyja comment, she turns and asks, "Oh....what's a magic mouth? " Sighing, as she realizes that she might be arguing with an inanimate object, she asks, "Is this a trick again?"
Whatever it is, it does not think - that much is clear, Astrid replies with a hint of contempt. It says its bit and nothing else, repeating tirelessly - it may as well be a music box. You will not change the mind it does not have, and its presence changes not our mission. Keep going...what comes comes, and we react then. She illustrates her impatience with a swift kick, shoveling a clump of snow at the facsimile with a huff.
The snow keeps falling while Freyja concentrates in the snowman. Shiny neighs a bit, perhaps protesting that you stopped.
Arvanya listens with great interest to Freyja's stories, ever excited to hear tales of far-off places. "I have heard that bears can be completely white, but have never seen one before! Where is your mother now?" .
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+1
Responding to Arvanya's question Freyja gets a distant look in her eye for a moment and then spins yet another tale. Knowing my mother she is entertaining in some Jarl's court, or on her way to do so. She is in the employ of on Ofred, a lord and dignitary over her home town. She carries news and offers of trade and mutual aide and such about the area for lord Ofred. I can proudly say that he has fared quite well since putting mom on the payroll and relations with his neighbors have gotten only better. Moms got a silver tongue and if I have any talent at all its her I need to be thanking. And I miss her. But its a sweet emotion for me and not one of sorrow so I'll not be holding it against you for bringing her up. She finishes with a smile directed at Arvanya and asks. And what of your family?
Hold. There is more to this snowman than we see. Freyja says as she backs away the way the group came. Three enchantments I can see. The first I cannot quite make out but the other two are clear enough. Illusion and Evocation. This thing is some kind of trap.
"We will return to Varisia, to find our parents. But not yet, eh? First we find this Lady."
Arvanya keeps her arrow trained on the snow-thing as she turns her head this way and that, trying to locate the source of danger. "Perhaps we simply walk by, eh?"
"If it iss a trap, we would not be wise to walk into it. Maybe we can trigger it before we move." Blaze reaches down and scoops a handful of snow, packing it into a hard ball of ice before pitching it right at the snowman's face.
If that doesn't trigger it, she will ask Freyja, "Can you see the edge of the enchantmentss. Perhapss we can go around it?"
As I said - ignore the thing. We go on. As Blaze's snowball thuds into the snowman's side, Astrid is already walking past almost defiantly, as if daring it to try something.
As Freyja examines the snowman, Evelina moves next to Shiny. Petting the creature, she mutters, "It's okay buddy. We'll be moving again soon. Just gotta work things out with Grumpy McSnow Pants here."
Caught of guard by the sudden snowball toss, Evelina goes, "Woah! Wait! What are you..?" She spins around to face the snowman with her rapier drawn, half expecting the creature to spring to life and attack Blaze for the offense.
Blaze hits the snowman in its head but nothing seems to happen... something actually reasonable if it is indeed a trap: if not, a simple small bird flying nearby would trigger it!
As Astrid comes within 5 feet of the snowman, you hear a loud scream of frustration erupting from the frozen guardian. The sound wave created destroys the snowman and propels all the snow around it, obscuring Astrid from the rest of you. When the snow settles down, you are able to see her once more, standing in the middle of a 'crater', blood running from her ears and a stunned look in her face.
There is also something new... from the frozen stream, three figures apparently made of ice emerged and are now sliding towards you. From the waist up, this icy creature's features are humanoid, but below its body is a snake-like, slithering tail.
________________________________
Evelina - up
Freyja - up
Astrid - Stunned for 1 round
Blaze - up
Arvanya - up
Auryel - up
Ice Elementals
They are ice elementals. the bard warns. Immune to cold and vulnerable to fire.
Oh her turn Freyja begins to sing a song about the warmth of fire.
The explosion of snow and sound causes Arvanya to whip her head away and cover her ear. Head still ringing, she searches desperately for Astrid. The sight of her blood is distressing, but the immediate threat is the approaching enemy. Moving quickly, she hops to the side to gain the advantage of a clear shot. She sends an arrow flying straight at it, though she only grazes its side.
She sics Auryel on it. The wolf easily leaps through the overgrown terrain, arriving at the creature with a snap of his jaws.
"Astrid!" Evelina shouts fearfully, as the woman disappears from view. Her panic does not decrease as Astrid becomes visible once more, as Evelina quickly realizes that she is in no condition to deal with the creatures approaching her. Not thinking twice, she runs across the cleared path and flies towards the enemy with her rapier, trying to block their path to Astrid.
Blaze drops her forehead into her hand over Astrid's bull-headed move. Or bear-headed, I suppose. Seeing the woman looks badly hurt she follows Evelina and moves ahead of Astrid to shield her from the oncoming creatures.
Unable to gather power this time, the tiefling forces her kinetic blast into the shape of a cone, being careful not to hit Evie. This time wisps of smoke rise from her flesh as the flames burst forth, drawing a hiss of pain from her lips as her eyes close briefly, relishing the sensation.
Faster than the elementals were probably expecting, Evelina charges forward with her rapier and by its moves she is able to determine that her quickness would be in vain, a fact that she confirms when she fails to penetrate the elemental's ice armor... they are far more tough than fast.
Freyja starts to sing once more while she draws her sword and soon after Blaze is already positioned to send another fan of flames. Bothe the elementals somehow manage to evade much of the powerfull flames but the small amount that hits them starts to melt their skin... they soon curse her in their slithering-like language.
Arvanya readies her bow and soon after one of the elementals has an arrow pierced into its arms, with small spidery cracks around it. Auryel heeds to his master's command and quickly moves through the dense winter foliage, even if he fails to chose his jaws at his target.
Perhaps fearing the powerful flames emanating from Blaze, one of the elementals retreats to the middle of the frozen stream. The other, in front of Evelina, tries its luck with a clumsy blow that she easily blocks with her rapier, quickly attacking back just to find herself unable to penetrate de elemental's armor once more. It soon retreats, following his companion and, unknowingly, taking advantage that Evelina is out of balance and unable to retaliate.
The last elemental battling Auryel attacks the wolf but finds nothing but the falling snow, poorly calculating his slam. Before he is able to retreat, Auryel is able to bite it from behind, chopping a big amount of the creature's long tail... slowly and 'bleeding water', the last one also retreats...
________________________________
Evelina - up
Freyja - up
Astrid - up
Blaze - up
Arvanya - up
Auryel - up
Ice Elemental#1 [4 dmg, grazed (-1)]
Ice Elemental#2 [4 dmg, grazed (-1)]
Ice Elemental#3 [11 dmg, critical (-3)]
Blaze steps up beside Evelina, putting a cautioning hand on her shoulder. "I do not think we should follow. They will have the advantage on the ice..." She then cries a warning to the creatures in common. "You will leave uss to go on our way, or face a snowballss chance in Hell!"
Then she winds up and makes ready to fling fire at the closest one if they do not out of the way.
Evelina looks as if she is considering running after them, when she feels Blaze's steadying hand on her shoulder. Sighing, she says, "Right...Of course....You're right..." Pulling her shortbow off her back, she nocks an arrow. Pulling it back she holds and waits for any creature that ignore's Blaze's warning.
"Auryel, heel!" Arvanya calls the wolf to her side as she sprints toward Astrid. Her fingers already glow with a cool blue light. There's no sense in being shy anymore.
One hand still grasping her longbow, she reaches out, gently touching Astrid's bleeding ear, casting her face in the soft, eerie glow.
Freyja stops her song and lets it linger in the frigid wind. If they are summoned creatures then perhaps they will only stay a few moments. Let us retreat together and go around these reluctant foes.
Still nearly overcome by the sudden flurry of snow and noise, Astrid manages to regain her senses as the others quickly dispatch the ice elementals; before she truly grasps what's happened, Arvanya approaches and casts her healing spell, a soft glow in the suddenly-still clearing. Thank you, Astrid responds simply, testing the formerly-injured ear by lightly clicking her claws beside it. We can try to go around; perhaps you are right and they will leave us alone. But if these are meant as guardians, it is likely they will continue to harry us; be at the ready for more trouble.
It is quite unclear if the elementals were able to understand Blaze or not, or if they were afraid, but all the three elementals dive into the frozen stream, ignoring the frozen surface and disappearing below.
________________________________
Evelina - up
Freyja - up
Astrid - up
Blaze - up
Arvanya - up
Auryel - up
Ice Elemental#1 [4 dmg, grazed (-1)]
Ice Elemental#2 [4 dmg, grazed (-1)]
Ice Elemental#3 [11 dmg, critical (-3)]
Arvanya keeps her bow handy but Auryel at her side as she regards the creatures retreating under the ice. "It looks like we've scared them away for now. We should keep moving, but Astrid is right to maintain our guard. They may follow us."
Evelina lowers her bow and nods in agreement with Arvanya. "Yeah, glad we were able to scare em so easy." Giving Blaze a pat on the back, she says, "I don't think they liked the fire much..."
Turning around, she jogs over to Astrid and offers her hand off the ground. "You alright? That looked pretty bad from where I was standing..."
Taking the offered hand, Astrid shakes her head a few times as if to clear it. Nothing, she replies firmly to Evelina's inquiry as she wipes a quickly-thickening runnel of blood from her cheek, though the patch of hair there remains crimson. It was nothing. We press on, go around where they've disappeared as Freyja suggests. Resolutely, she makes her way to the river's shore, giving the place where the elementals had descended a berth of twenty feet or more and looking for a crossing that might be simpler than the treacherous ice.
From your side of the frozen stream you see that the trail continues on the other side, unless you wish to follow along the river itself.
Evelina scratches her head, "Uh...I'm not positive, but I think the lodge is on the other side. I guess we could try and see if the river gets narrower, but won't that take a lot of time?"
Examining the edge of the river, she puts one foot on it, testing the grip of the cleats. Steadying herself, she put her other foot on the ice and takes a few steps outwards.
Skidding a little bit, but catching herself, she turns back to the others and grins. "See? Its not bad with these shoes! It actually kind of fun!"
Evelina notices no cracks in the ice sheet and it seems pretty thick and save to walk over it. The stream is 20 feet wide at this point of the crossing but it is impossible to know how deep it is. You perceive no reaction from the missing ice elementals.
Blaze sighs and follows Evelina, gathering power before stepping onto the ice, just in case.
"I no like look of this.." Arvanya mutters as the other women begin to step out into the ice. "Makes us easy prey..." Keeping Auryel near her side, she raises her bow and merely stands by the ice's edge, watching to ensure that the others make it safely across.
Despite the suspicious nature of the current events, there is a general consent that the way forward it the correct one. Once more in their formation marching order, you start to cross the creek. When you hit the middle of it, Astrid hears a cracking sound beneath her and soon jumps to her left just in time to avoid falling in the ice cold water that appeared bellow, leaving a small cracked hole in her former place.
Despite her warning, it was too late for Evelina that wasn't fast enough to react and felt through the hole, barely managing to hold herself, avoiding being completely submerged. Almost simultaneously, the three ice elementals return and soon attack you in close combat.
Two of them move towards Astrid... the first one hit his icy fist across her chin, causing her to feel numb not just because of the blow but also because of an unnatural cold. Luckily the second attack misses her entirely. The last elemental closes in Freyja but the northern maiden manages absorb the blow with her armor.
________________________________
Evelina - up
Freyja - up
Astrid - up
Blaze - up
Arvanya - up
Auryel - up
Ice Elemental#1 [4 dmg, grazed (-1)]
Ice Elemental#2 [12 dmg, critical (-3)]
Ice Elemental#3 [11 dmg, critical (-3)]
"Evie!" Blaze cries out in alarm. Having expected something like this, she is not really surprised but she is angry! Her yellow eyes flash with fiery light and then narrow on the elementals. "For this, you will BURN!"
Everything happens very fast. One moment Evelina is sliding along the ice, the next she is falling downwards. As she hits the water, she immediately lets out a large gasp as the sensation is like nothing she has ever experienced. Muscles tightening and struggling to breath, her first emotion is panic. However, Blaze's cry snaps her back into focus. Scrambling out of the water like a wild animal, she begins stumbling across the ice. Shivering madly, she lets the now soaking wet furs fall to the ground, unable to bear their weight.
Still in a panic, she sees Astrid surrounded and badly wounded once more. I'm coming! she tries to say, but her lungs can't seem to get the words out. Pushing up from her hands and knees, and pulling out her rapier, she stumbles towards the thick of combat, despite her entire body protesting.
Evelina moves swiftly even if still shivering. When she reaches the ice elemental a well to familiar sound arises from beneath her feet. This time she is far more faster to react and is able to jump back before the ice colapses into another hole.
Blaze keeps her center of gravity low to the ground, her tail extended for balance as she shuffles to the side and lets loose another fan of flames. She does her best to direct it up from the ice so as not to weaken it further.
The sound of the cracking ice is the sound of impending doom. The ice itself is not the danger, it is what waits beneath. Evelina is gone. Now her head appears as she draws herself up from the icy waters. She will not last long in the open air. To make matters worse, Astrid is again badly hurt, surrounded, and isolated. Her first reaction is to step out on the ice, but the numerous holes already existing suggest its integrity is already compromised, and she doubts it would support her armored weight. Thinking quickly, Arvanya tries to make some sense of their positioning.
"Astrid, fall back! Run back this way!"
Blaze's firery burst is a welcome sight. Arvanya figures that creatures of ice and snow would fear the fire, just like the fey. Taking a deep breath, she steps to the side in order to get a clear shot around Blaze, then releases an arrow at the ice creature nearest her.
Auryel barks and threatens to rush forward, but she holds him back. "Nu, Auryel! Stay off the ice. It is death."
Fall back and we only have to cross again! I know here is safe! Careful to keep her feet where they are, Astrid lashes out at the elemental Blaze's flames could not reach, trying to rip it apart. But the difficulty of keeping her balance and the numb of the creature's cold throw off her swings, and both go wide of the animate ice.
Freyja moves swiftly but with care around the cracked ice and, after ushering a couple magical words, strikes a powerful blow at the westernmost elemental, almost making it fall. Blaze unleashes her stored energy once more, hitting both the remaining elementals and making both of them fall, slowly melting away.
The last elemental standing, protected by a wall of combatants, is able to evade Arvanya's arrow but its poor condition takes the better of it and soon after it tries to strike at Freyja, it collapses into the ground.
Walking around the cracked ice and using the dead elemental's previous positioning as a guide, you are able to safely cross the creek. On the other side, the legs and feet of a frozen corpse jut from a pile of snow next to the trees there. Freyja quickly recognizes the man. "He's Old Man Dansby, a farmer from Heldren that have been claiming that someone was stealing from his fields. His farm lies closest to the Border Wood, where half his crops have died from the icy frost and the rest have been carried off... looks like he was right after all..."
With the body, you find a composite longbow (+1 Str) with 12 arrows, a dagger, a masterwork handaxe, and a pouch containing 14 pieces of gold, 25 pieces of silver, and 18 pieces of copper. You notice the trail continues west, even if slightly pointing south this time.
Evelina desperately stumbles towards the other side of the creek. As soon as she reaches the bushes, she collapses into a shivering ball. Teeth chattering, she hugs her legs close and rubs her arms vigorously, but with her clothes soaking and cold she seems unable to warm herself up. Far too preoccupied with her own predicament, Evelina doesn't seem to hear Freyja or even notice unfortunate fate of the farmer.
Blaze moves swiftly, also paying no mind to the man's body. She pulls her sleeping blanket from her pack and wraps it around Evelina. "Quickly, take off the wet thingss. They will sap the warmth from your skin." She then begins immediately unbuckling the straps to her armor and stripping off her own cold-weather outfit that the swords-woman had picked out for her, which is thankfully still dry and warm with the tiefling's body heat. "No arguementss, I do not feel the cold." As time seemed of the essence, she did not bother with attempts at modesty as she revealed scaly skin, extensive burn scars as well as artful brands upon her skin and a number of piercings on her naked flesh. She put her own warm-weather clothes back on and donned her armor again and then helped Evelina into the dry, warm clothes. "We can change back again when your own clothess are dry."
Auryel reflexively places her hand over her heart as the ice creatures fall and exhales heavily in relief. She sends Auryel ahead across the ice, then follows carefully, her thick leather boots thudding softly across the frozen surface. She shies away from the breaks in the ice, but as she catches sight of the dark water churning below, she shudders. We might have been trapped under there. To be washed away, frozen, drowned, forgotten. What an awful fate.
Until this journey, she could count on one hand the number of people who would probably remember her--Artyo, Niko, Talia. And Auryel, of course. Who else would howl at the moon with him? Now, she hopes, there would be at least a few more.
She kicks the frozen ground with her toe, exalted to be back on solid ground. She watches in wonder as Blaze removes her clothing and exposes her unusual, scarred skin. That one is full of surprises... She's just about to ask Blaze about her scars when she nearly trips over a fallen log. No, not a log, a leg.
"He made it over river, then? What killed him on this side? More ice things?"
Evelina whimpers slightly at the prospect of undressing and exposing her skin to the cold air, but she doesn't protest for long. She strips the wet clothes off quickly, despite their determination to cling to her skin and gratefully accepts the dry set from Blaze. However, as she begins to redresses, she pauses for a moment, as her eyes fall upon Blaze's scars. From the wizard? she wonders in horror. A sharp, cold gust of wind to her back snaps her out of her stupor and reminds her that she shouldn't be staring. Quickly, she looks away and pulls the shirt over her head. Warming up and feeling much better, her shivering lessens and she starts to feel able to speak again. Straightening the last pieces of clothing, she weakly jokes, "They look better on you...but thank you..." Looking guiltily towards the grounds, she says quietly, "I'm sorry...you said not to go on the ice...I didn't listen..."
Inspecting the corpse, Arvanya finds a couple hematomas surrounded by frostbite... the size of them quite consistent with the ice elemental's slam.
When Evelina changes her wet clothes for Blaze's, she instantly feels warmer, even if still chilled.
The trail begins to climb a ridgeline to the south beneath snow-laden trees. The prints of boots and horses mar the freshly fallen snow on the trail. In the distance, Astrid notices five humanoids standing in the middle of the trail that appears not to have noticed you yet.